If It Bleeds

Published in 2020, If It Bleeds is a novella collection by American author Stephen King. King is considered the preeminent writer of contemporary horror, having penned many modern genre staples in both long- and short-form fiction since 1967. If It Bleeds is King’s fifth collection of novellas, all of which were previously unpublished at the time of their inclusion. One of the novellas, “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” was adapted to film in 2022 for Netflix. The film, which retains the title, was directed by John Lee Hancock and stars Donald Sutherland and Jaeden Martell. At the time of this writing, an adaptation of the second novella, “The Life of Chuck,” starring Tom Hiddleston and directed by Mike Flanagan, is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024.

The novellas in If It Bleeds demonstrate King’s signature brand of horror and coming-of-age tales, as well as the crime thriller stories that became more prominent in the author’s later career. These stories explore impulsivity as a social illness, the fear of death, and the banality of evil.

This guide is based on the First Paperback Edition of the book published by Pocket Books in 2022.

Content Warning: The source material for this study guide depicts or includes references to death by suicide, child violence and child death, and sexual violence and self-harm. On one occasion, the source material uses the n-word.

Plot Summaries

The book is composed of four novellas, two of which are horror stories. The second novella, “The Life of Chuck,” blends elements of the horror story with those of the coming-of-age story, while the third novella, “If It Bleeds,” is a thriller with supernatural elements.

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” follows Craig, a young boy who strikes up a friendship with a wealthy man named Mr. Harrigan. When Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig ensures that his old friend is buried with the iPhone Craig gifted him. After Craig starts receiving messages from the late Mr. Harrigan, he becomes increasingly convinced that his old friend is either alive or communicating with him from the dead. To make matters worse, Craig can’t help feeling that his dead friend keeps returning to take revenge on those who have earned Craig’s ire. The novella ends with an adult Craig choosing to let go of his connection to Mr. Harrigan by disposing of his first iPhone.

“The Life of Chuck” unfolds over three acts in reverse chronological order. It begins by introducing a world on the brink of collapse. Its inhabitants register the omnipresence of an ad announcing the retirement of a seemingly ordinary bank employee named Charles “Chuck” Krantz. The world ends just as Chuck dies of glioblastoma. The next two acts of the novella show Chuck’s early encounters with death, including the tragic loss of his family and the gradual loss of the grandparents who adopt him. After a teacher helps him to realize that he contains multitudes within him, Chuck resolves to live a wonderful life, even if, paradoxically, that means resigning himself to life as an ordinary bank accountant. He later has a serendipitous encounter with two strangers named Jared and Janice, whom he joins for a spontaneous dance that affirms his life.

The third novella, “If It Bleeds,” functions as a spinoff of King’s Bill Hodges Trilogy, as well as his 2018 novel, The Outsider. Holly Gibney, a private detective at the Finders Keepers agency, is coping with the loss of her professional partner, Bill Hodges, and her terrifying encounter with a supernatural entity known as the outsider. When a domestic terrorist attack results in the destruction of a Pennsylvania school, Holly becomes convinced that another outsider is responsible for the attack. She soon learns that a local news reporter named Chet Ondowsky has been reporting tragic crimes for 60 years in order to feed on the psychic energy of those who suffer during these events. She teams up with her friends, Jerome and Barbara Robinson, to put an end to Chet’s reign of terror while also dealing with the emotional baggage she feels around her overbearing mother, Charlotte.

“Rat” is the final novella of the book. It follows Drew Larson, a mid-career short story writer who is driven by the prospect of writing a western novel. He travels to his father’s secluded forest cabin and stubbornly refuses his wife Lucy’s requests to return home when a massive storm threatens their lives. As Drew fights off his ego and a developing case of pneumonia, he encounters a talking rat who offers him a deal: Drew will finish his novel if he can choose one person he cares for to die. Drew chooses his mentor, Al Stamper, who already has terminal cancer, and does manage to finish his book to his satisfaction. When Al and his wife Nadine are killed in a fatal car accident, however, Drew no longer feels any joy in the act of writing. He resolves never to write another novel again.